Archives for December 2017

‘He added, “(This organization) is in a position that we haven’t been in, this city hasn’t been in, for a number of years. To me, there’s an electricity about it this time of year to be in this type of situation. It’s a situation that our guys have earned and I’m proud of them for it.”‘

‘I’m not saying the drought will last another decade, or another day. But regardless of what happens Sunday, there’s no guarantee that the Bills will maintain the modest level of success they achieved in the first year under McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane.’

‘The safety needs to get a deep drop to make the throw difficult for Jay Cutler (6). Carolina often stays with three linebackers against three-receiver sets. Most teams, including the Bills, will bring on the nickel cornerback.’

‘“To say do I wish that the Bills would make the playoffs; I hope that the Chargers make the playoffs,” he said with a laugh this week. “Anthony Lynn is obviously the head coach there and my son’s out there with him coaching. So to say I’d rather see the Bills in instead of the Chargers, no way! But if they’re not in, then absolutely.”’

‘“They come in very casual, Bills jerseys on and everything else like that,” he said. “We will not allow that even in our restaurant on New Year’s Eve, to come in with Bills jerseys in the middle of a dinner hour.’

‘This year, the group will host the Bills fan tailgate party in bus lot 7 of Hard Rock Stadium. “We’re renting a giant party bus and I’ll have a 20-foot flag pole with two big Bills flags waving,” Holler said. “I’ve got my brother-in-law bringing his DJ equipment and I told him to play the ‘Shout!’ song at least once every half hour.”’

‘A 2015 study from the Mexican football website Primero y Diez found the Bills to be the seventh most popular team in the country, with an almost 4 percent share of the country’s reported 28 million NFL fans. That same year a Harris Poll ranked Buffalo as America’s 19th favorite team.’

‘We bring this all up because Sunday, for the first time since that Week 17 fiasco against the Steelers, the Bills are alive on the season’s final day, and they’re in a very similar situation. They need to beat the Dolphins, and then have one of two scenarios play out — the Bengals beating the Ravens, or the Chargers losing to the Raiders and the Titans losing to the Jaguars.’

‘RB LeSean McCoy on the mood around the team this week: “Just everybody’s dialed in. This is a must-win situation. Everybody’s put everything on the line and everybody knows the situation. I think you’ll see a team come out playing fast (and) playing hard.”’

‘The Bills should win this game without much trouble. Fans in Buffalo have come to expect the worst, but the Bills match up well against the Dolphins, who have little reason to be up for this game. Expect Tyrod Taylor to have another solid outing, while the Bills defense should harass Cutler throughout the afternoon.’

‘Buffalo owns the title … the one it never wanted. Out of the four major sports, the Bills have the longest active drought, 17 years, of not making the playoffs. For 2017 to be the year that snaps the streak, Buffalo needs to defeat Miami on the road and get some help from other teams.’

‘Between the hours of 4:25 and 8:00 pm, Bills fans are going to experience something they haven’t in a long, long time — the gripping pains of scoreboard watching in the final week of the season, with three likely-to-be-close games. However, I don’t think they’ll have to worry about the Bills being up for this game. They know the stakes, and I think we’re going to see a big effort from them on Sunday.’

‘And that he did. Madden spent 15 hours to create the backyard football field over a three day stretch. He and his wife had to be very clever in planning to ensure the kids did not see their work of art until Christmas morning. He said, “When Ethan got his helmet and they got some Bills gear, we said hey get your shoes on and lets go see how your football and helmet works, and that’s when we took them out front.”’

‘The anticipation of a Buffalo playoff berth is enough to make the calmest Bills fans squirm with excitement. For those living in the area, there’s no better way to cheer on the team than with your closest friends at (716) Food and Sport. Starting at kickoff, at 4:25 p.m., fans can stop by to root for the Bills, capture the moment in a photo booth and get hyped with DJ Milk. During the game, prizes will be given away, including two Super Bowl tickets!* Oh, and did I mention there’s a 38-foot video screen?!’

‘“We both feed off of each other’s energy levels. When one of us makes a play, the other one wants to make the next play. We’re almost competing with ourselves, we’re not looking at the rest of the league,” said Poyer. “We believe in our room that we are the best safety duo in the league. Everybody else is going to say otherwise, but between him and I, we believe that’s us.”’

‘“We have to handle our business and try to get a win in Miami. The city (of Buffalo), I’m sure, will be super excited to have this happen, especially where a lot of people aren’t sure if you can make it, what the scenario is, what can happen.”’

‘”My impression of a lot of guys has changed once you get to know someone, in terms of building a relationship,” the coach said. “Like I said, he’s one of the big leaders for our football team. It’s changed just because of getting to know him, but for really no other reason that that.”‘

‘There is good news at receiver for the Bills, though. Kelvin Benjamin was not included on the team’s final injury report, meaning he’s good to face Miami. Benjamin practiced on a limited basis all week, but is coming off a game in which he played 52 snaps, his most since coming to Buffalo.’

‘The passion of the fan base, like I’ve mentioned numerous times before, the work ethic, the blue-collar approach I think goes hand-in-hand with those two sports in particular, as you mentioned, hockey in this case.’

‘Maybe their coach, Adam Gase, can sell his players on the idea of being a spoiler. He already has made it clear that they’re playing for their jobs. But expecting that to carry the Dolphins through an entire game against a team looking to end a 17-year playoff drought is probably expecting too much.’

‘I’ve often wondered if Tom Donahoe would have kept Bledsoe if they had reached the playoffs. I suspect not. Donahoe was ready to turn the job over to J.P. Losman. A similar decision looms as Tyrod Taylor gets ready for the finale in Miami.’

‘Meanwhile, the Bills ruled out cornerback Shareece Wright, who suffered a concussion last week. Deonte Thompson, who suffered a shoulder injury in practice on Thursday, is listed as questionable and did not practice on Friday.’

‘The Bills were accused of tanking based on some of the trades they made leading up to the season. Players were motivated by the talk and it’s clear that the team wasn’t tanking. With one game remaining, Buffalo has a shot to end their playoff drought.’

‘The Dolphins have nothing to play for in this game, other than to be a spoiler for Buffalo’s playoff hopes. If the Bills can get up on the scoreboard early, much like they did in the first meeting, it could convince Miami to fold their tents and run for the bus sooner, rather than later.’